Dr. Ingrid Hehmeyer is an agricultural engineer, pharmacist, and archaeologist who serves as Associate Professor in the History of Science and Technology at Ryerson University in Ontario. She specializes in human-environmental relationships in the arid regions of ancient and medieval Arabia. Her current field research focusses on the history of water technology in medieval Yemen, where she investigates technical innovations in hydraulic engineering and strategies for water management that allowed people to live under harsh environmental conditions. Part of this project involves a study of the methods of astronomical timekeeping used for allocating water, during both day and night. Her second area of research is the history of the medical sciences in the Islamic world. As a licensed pharmacist, she is particularly interested in the use of medicinal substances and their manufacture. In connection with both water scarcity and the perpetual menace of disease – the two most fundamental threats to the basis of life – Dr. Hehmeyer also explores the evidence for the magical practices integrated with technological and scientific innovation. Click here to register to attend the free lecture.
A lunch conversation will be held immediately after the talk (1:00-2:30) for graduate students and others. Dr. Hehmeyer will talk informally about her fieldwork process in Yemen and how the traditional knowledge of contemporary farmers sheds light on the archaeological evidence. For lunch RSVP to Rachel Hopkin hopkin.7@osu.edu
This event forms part of the seminar series Hydropolitics: Water Scarcity & Security organized by Esther Gottlieb & Bryan Mark for the Mershon Center for International Security Studies. Dr. Hehmeyer’s talk is co-sponsored by the Mershon Research Network in Cultural Resilience, Global Water Initiative, the Department of Anthropology, Middle East Studies Center, and the Center for Folklore Studies.
Go the the Mershon Center's event page for further information and to register.
